Stone Centipede (Order Lithobiomorpha), Taken March 19, 2025, In Georgia, US

Keeled Treehopper (Entylia carinata), taken April 27, 2025, in Georgia, US

A lifer treehopper for me! This guy flew in and landed right on top of a fly. Because of that, I thought it was another fly but noticed the pigmentation was strange, so I bent down for a closer look. Thank god I did, because this guy is epic! I'm always on the lookout for treehoppers, but they seem so rare to me. Hopefully this spring brings me even more hopper luck!

Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus), female, taken April 28, 2025, in Georgia, US

A lovely woodpecker mom visiting the feeders! Usually this species is very shy, and I wasn't being particularly quiet this day, so I'm not sure why she even came over lol. Regardless, I got some good pictures of her looking at me over her shoulder between bites! It's about time for me to start seeing her baby (or babies) at the feeders. Juveniles of this species completely lack the red head pattern of adults, having a plain gray head, so they're pretty easy to identify. Maybe I'll see them around!

Eastern Calligrapher (Toxomerus geminatus), female, taken April 12, 2025, in Georgia, US

A nice hoverfly perching on a flower. While hoverflies are out year-round here, they're in full swing now! Along with dozens of adults, I've started to see larvae too! The larvae of many hoverflies (though not all) feed on small invertebrates, aphids being a favorite of some (aptly named "Aphideaters"). As adults, many become herbivores, feeding on plant nectar. This is the same strategy most insects employ. It's much easier to survive if adults and babies of the same species eat different things at different life stages—less competition!

Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus), males & juvenile male (2), taken February 25, 2025, in Georgia, US

More blackbirds!! Migrating flocks are still passing through all day, so there are plenty of opportunities to get pictures. The video is of one of them shuffling around on their preferred perch, participating in the cacophony of calls. They're so much louder in person...

Jumping Spider (Maevia expansa), female, taken May 8, 2025, in Georgia, US

A curious jumper making her way along a twig! She was not very happy with me but ultimately cooperated enough to get a single good picture. Like the Dimorphic Jumping Spider (Maevia inclemens), this spider's males have two different morphs: a "gray" morph that is gray with black stripes and bright orange palps and a "tufted" morph that is black with white legs and 3 black tufts of hairs above its eyes. The males of the species look nothing alike, which may cause them to be misidentified. This species can be differentiated from M. inclemens by the presence of white patterning on the head of the female and around the eyes of the males. You can also use locality, as they have currently only been found in Georgia and once in Tennessee.

Cambarid Crayfishes (Genus Cambarus), taken June 30, 2024, in Georgia, US

Assorted crayfish faces! These are both most likely Variable Crayfishes (Cambarus latimanus), though I do not know anything about crayfish ID so I don't want to assume anything lol. As it warms up I plan to spend more time catching salamanders and crayfish, though it can be a bit painstaking if they're smart. Once i got them into the container I was using for photos, I had to use a stick to gently push them to the edge to get my macro lens close enough. They behaved well, but it took forever!

Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis), males, taken April 30, 2024, in Georgia, US

These cardinals dressed appropriately for the scenery! The japanese maple is exactly the same color as them, which comes out looking very cool in shots like these. Soon, the maple will be filled back out, and I'll have a nice red background to take pictures on again!

Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), juvenile male, taken February 24, 2025, in Georgia, US

I believe I am in love with this beautiful fucking bird!!! Despite how pretty the males are, I might prefer the appearance of the female RW blackbird more. The brown tones and subtle red on the face are just gorgeous. This juvenile male has a combination of both sexes' best traits—intricate browns as well as a vibrant orange patch on the wing! Hopefully I'll be able to get more pictures before all of the blackbirds are gone!

Ebony Jewelwings (Calopteryx maculata), female (top) & male (bottom), taken May 22, 2025, in Georgia, US

A beautiful pair of ebony jewelwings that were fluttering around each other! I wouldn't put it past them to be flirting lol. These pictures are a great side by side comparison of the sexual dimorphism of the species. Females are a dark metallic blue/green with a bold white spot on the apex of each of their four wings, while males are a brilliant metallic green with solid black wings. There are also slight morphological differences, but those are very hard to see unless you have a camera or the insect is very still, which jewelwings are not. I've just learned to remember that white spot = female!

Spotted Dusky Salamander (Desmognathus conanti), taken September 10, 2024, in Georgia, US

Enjoying the sun! It's pretty unusual to see salamanders sitting out in the open like this, so I initially thought this guy was dead. I ended up freaking him out when i put my hand near him to see, and I feel kind of bad about it, but I also really needed to know if he was alive lol... He was in close proximity to a large banded fishing spider that was also enjoying the sunshine, so I think this was just a nice spot! I hope he came back later and caught some more rays!